Once Lost, Found Again
by liz1015
Summary: A woman, long thought to be dead returns and throws Hogwarts' potion master for a loop


**A/N Hello out there to anyone reading this. I'm new to the whole writing fanfic game so if you review, I welcome advice, but not so much flames :). As an added bonus I am looking for a beta so if any of you lovely readers would like to volunteer I would most likely love you forever. Now on with the show, oh by the way, I clearly do not own anything it all belongs to the lovely JK Rowling and all those publishing houses. Now really on with the show.* Dims lights ***

Darkness consumed everything. It filled the cave and the woman's body, penetrating every molecule. Time and breath were suspended.

Years passed.

Change came in a flash of lightest blue, the shade of a perfect summer sky that seemed to exist only in distant memories of simpler, better times.

…........................................................................................................................................................

The snow swirled outside the huge castle, covering its many turrets. It looked more like the mountains that surrounded it than it did a school. Inside one of the towers, the headmaster paced. He tugged at his long, white beard, shaking his head.

The deputy headmistress burst into the room. "Is this some sort of malicious joke?" she asked sternly. "If I had not known you for years, and if you were not Albus Dumbledore I would—" She was unable to finish her sentence as the door opened once again. A man in billowing robes entered the stone chamber. The furious glint in his dark eyes betrayed the emotion kept hidden on his otherwise impassive face.

"Ahh, Severus, Minerva," Dumbledore said as if he just realized his solitude had been interrupted. "I think it is best if you sit down." With an absent-minded flick of his wand, two purple armchairs appeared.

Minerva sat and looked from Dumbledore, who continued to pace, to Snape, who glared at the wall opposite him, refusing to acknowledge any of the occupants of the room.

"I think I prefer to stand, headmaster," Snape said in a voice barely raised above a whisper, yet able to capture everyone in the room's attention including several portraits. He continued to stare straight ahead.

"Alright." Dumbledore snapped out of his thoughts. "You both received my message. At about two-thirty, this morning there was a loud commotion in the town of Hogsmeade. Bellatrix Lestrange made an appearance. It seems..." He stared into space for a moment, and then said, "It seems she left a body behind. The body—the woman—is Amaris Swift."

"Amaris has been dead for more than fifteen years. Voldemort himself let it be known that he killed her." Minerva had a look of disbelief on her face. "Why would Bellatrix bring back her body?"

"The more important question, I'm afraid, is _why_ did Bellatrix return her body?" Dumbledore sat down behind his desk, his expression was deeply troubled. "She brought her back alive. Barely alive, but still..."

"I was there when Amaris died," Snape said breaking his silence. "The Dark Lord gave her to Nagini after he tortured her for information." His face twisted into a terrible grimace. "This is a mistake." Snape moved toward the door.

"Severus, she is unconscious, but has been inspected by Healers and myself. There is no doubt that it is Amaris. She was put under a stasis spell. She has not aged and still has the cuts and bruises from her torture." Dumbledore had not looked up when he spoke.

Severus paused in the doorway. "Where is she?" He used the same low tone as he had during the entire conversation, but the feeling behind it came from a place of guilt and deep depression as opposed to the anger and mistrust that he had started with.

"The hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey is expecting you."

"How can she still be alive, Albus? I thought, no _knew_, we had lost her years ago," Minerva said after Snape had shut the door.

Dumbledore reached across the desk to grasp her outstretched hand. He, too, was in need of comfort. "For the first time in a long time," he said, "I have absolutely no idea."


End file.
